This invention relates to a system for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from an inhalation therapy system, and specifically to a CO2 sorbent assembly for extracting metabolically produced CO2 from exhaled air.
Many diseases and medical conditions are currently being treated by inhalation therapy in which an aerosol medication is inhaled by a patient. Such treatments require inhalation of a proportionally large amount of aerosol medication relative to a low amount of medication that is actually absorbed into the patient's lungs. A relatively large amount of medication is wasted simply by being exhaled during a normal breathing cycle.
Currently systems for controlling and eliminating CO2 from a breathable air supply are utilized in diving applications, submarines, space vehicles and space suits. These systems utilize a CO2 sorbent bed composed of a solid or liquid sorbent disposed within a container. A stream of air containing CO2 is flowed through the container and the sorbent. The CO2 reacts with the sorbent, trapping CO2 within the container. The remainder of the breathable air recirculates into the controlled environment. Once the container has become saturated with CO2 such that further absorption of CO2 is inefficient, the breathable air stream is switched to a second container. The saturated container is either disposed or regenerated. Such systems have proven effective and efficient for controlling CO2 content within enclosed environments; however, these sorbent systems would tend to remove aerosolized particles within the air stream during inhalation therapy.
Accordingly, it is desirable to employ CO2 sorbent technology in an inhalation therapy system for controlling CO2 levels and increasing system efficiency by reusing exhaled aerosol medication.